


Thief

by Juniper11



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-28
Updated: 2013-02-28
Packaged: 2017-12-03 22:38:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/703410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juniper11/pseuds/Juniper11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He'd steal her heart if only she would let him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thief

**Author's Note:**

> For the LJ Lyrics Competition 2013

**I** sat in the hospital room, but I wasn't alone. I **was** accompanied by Kakashi-sensei and we both quietly looked over Naruto. Naruto had been in a coma for roughly two months since the end of the Fourth Ninja War. Tsunade said it was because of over exertion but I was afraid that it was more than that. I had done my own scans of Naruto and hadn't found anything wrong but I was still afraid that he would never wake up.

 

That would suck. We had all put forth a valiant effort in the war. Many lives were lost...but this was Naruto my teammate, my friend, one of the people that I needed the most in my life. Yet he lay before me lifeless. The dull beep of the monitor regulating Naruto's heart rhythm filled the silence. Normally it was one of the things that soothed my mind but not this particular day. It was flooded with all things Sasuke.

 

He was in Konoha custody. No judgment had been formed on him as yet since he played his own part in helping them win the war—however, since it was something that he had done solely for his own benefit I personally didn't think too much of it. Sasuke always had his own agendas.

 

And yet I had loved him so hard, for so long that it was hard letting go of it. I should let him go though. My love for him was entirely inappropriate. One his purposes in life had been (or it could still be for all I knew) was to destroy the home I loved and would give my life to defend.

 

I went to see him before I came to visit Naruto this particular day and he said nothing to me. I hadn't said anything to him either. We stood there separated by prison bars simply staring at each other. There was no passion in his eyes. There wasn't even the pain that he carried in his youth. He was simply there. And yet I still didn't understand why there were still feelings in my heart for him.

 

I walked away with no answers and I hated that. I needed some type of closure to able to let him go and move on but I had no idea how to go about achieving that.

 

“Is something on your mind?”

 

I jerked startled at the voice. My head swung towards my sensei, who I had forgotten was even in the room. I shifted uneasily in my chair and calmed myself before replying with my own question, “Why do you ask?”

 

“I've known you for years Sakura. I'd like to think I know when something is bothering you.”

 

I pursed my lips and maintained my silence. I really didn't want to talk about this out loud to Kakashi of all people.

 

“You'll feel better if you go ahead and get it off your chest. Are you worried about Naruto?” His gentle prod made me smile slightly.

 

“If I weren't I wouldn't be here.”

 

“Ah, so it's something else then. Perhaps Sasuke?”

 

I flinched hating that my feelings were so transparent. I sighed and turned my head towards the window gazing out at Konoha. My mind told me not to say anything. I didn't want to talk about it yet somehow I found my lips moving of their own accord.

 

“I don't want to love him anymore. I don't feel like it's right and the guilt is eating me alive. It's like I'm dangling off the edge of a cliff and hanging on for dear life because I'm afraid that if I let go I'll never love again I'm still trying to see the good in him but I'm not even sure anything's left of 'good' in him. Nevertheless, I have this feeling that he's it for me. My one true love that I'm trying to walk out on. ”

 

Kakashi-sensei was silent for a long time. The silence made me uneasy at first and I worried that I had disappointed him in some fashion—much like I had disappointed myself. I took my bottom lip between my teeth and began to gnaw on it nervously.

 

“Sakura, have you dated anyone at all since Sasuke left?”

 

My brow furrowed. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. I had been waiting for Sasuke because I was his Sakura. Why would I waste someone else's time?

 

“No.”

 

“Well there's your problem.”

 

“Wha-?”

 

“Sakura you'll never move on if you don't try. You'll never know if he is that one true love if you don't see other people. Believe it or not you don't owe Sasuke anything. He gave up every right to your love and affection when he left Konoha. If he's absolved of his crimes it would be foolish of you to just forgive and forget and go on like none of it ever happened. If he wants the place at your side he needs to earn it. Don't sell yourself short this time around.”

 

I found myself affronted at the fact that he thought I had cheated myself. I narrowed my eyes and silently fumed for a few moments before I had to admit that maybe possibly he was right.

 

“So you're saying I should date other people?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But if I have feelings for Sasuke isn't that wrong?”

 

“I never said it had to be a serious relationship. A lot of guys don't want that—especially at your age.”

 

I blinked slowly before I rose to my feet and went to look out the window. I didn't think I was that type of girl. I wasn't the type of girl who could just be with some guy for the fun of it. I truly felt like that was playing with someone's emotions—even if it was by mutual agreement. In the end someone would get hurt. I couldn't do that.

 

“And what if I want a serious relationship? What if I want to love and be loved in return?”

 

Then hairs on the back of my neck rose and I whirled around to find my sensei standing right behind me. As I stared up at him my mind was **blown**. Try as I might I couldn't put together a single rational thought.

 

His face was bare for me to see, to stare at, to admire, to love, and to adore. This kunoichi's heart quickened and I felt my palms grow damp. I was certain I was gaping like a fish but couldn't seem to stop myself. In fact, I couldn't even move **away** from him.

 

If I didn't know better I'd say he had used some jutsu to hold me in position. Kakashi's visage put a whole new meaning to sexy no jutsu.

 

“Then you should date an older man. A man who is established and knows **what** he wants out of life. A man who won't play games with your heart. A man who will appreciate the woman you are.” His body began to bend down bringing his face closer to mine. Blood rushed to my face and I was certain I was going to faint. My eyes fluttered closed but the lips that I expected to touch mine didn't. Instead his breath, which smelled distinctly of mint, caressed my face. “You know, I think you're smart enough that when you love a second time you'll do it right and you'll do it forever, and most definitely with no regrets.”

 

I squeaked and squeezed my eyes shut tighter.

 

“And the man you love will be...me.” Lips lightly brushed against mine and my eyes snapped open in surprise but when I **could** gaze about, my sensei was across the room, sitting in the same chair he had been since we arrived reading his book.

 

His mask was firmly in place.

 

“Kakashi-sensei?”

 

“Hmm?” He asked, not once looking up from his book. **I** raised my hands and pressed them to my temples since my head had begun to throb. Had I imagined the whole thing? What, exactly, had just happened?

 

My lips tingled.

 

He had kissed me. He had been standing right in front of me flirting shamelessly...hadn't he?

 

I was uncomfortably aware that suddenly my body was super sensitive and found I had the insane desire to touch myself.

 

“Did you just--” I choked on my words finding that I couldn't actually **say** them out loud. He was looking at me curiously now and I was starting to believe I had been daydreaming. But why would I daydream about my sensei? And why could I still feel the warmth of his lips upon mine?

 

I sighed. “Never mind.”

 

Kakashi-sensei went back to reading his book.

 

:::

I visited Sasuke the next day. The previous night my head had been filled with what I had dubbed the 'Kakashi incident'. The whole situation had been so weird that I was certain I had made the entire thing up out of sheer boredom. Still, I couldn't help but think that maybe my subconscious was right about what **it** was trying to tell me—not that I should date Kakashi. Just that maybe I should start dating.

 

However, before I could do that I had to talk to him first.

 

“Why did you allow yourself to be captured?”

 

A smirk flitted across his lips that made me uneasy. “You were always the one that knew me the best. However, I was always the one who knew _you_ the best. Why are _you_ really here?”

 

His revelation had been news to me. Truthfully, I thought he didn't see anything beyond himself anymore. I should have known better. Sasuke was more observant than that. Or maybe I was just wearing my heart on my sleeve.

 

I raised my chin defiantly. “That's none of your business.”

“Then I'll say the same to you.” He dismissed me then, ignoring my presence with a ease that hurt me more than I was willing to admit. I stood there for a while waiting for him to say something, anything else before I turned to leave.

 

I was almost gone before I heard him say, “Come back tomorrow.”

 

I didn't know if I would or not.

 

:::

 

Being around Kakashi made me nervous. He didn't act any differently. In fact, I was the only one spazzing out. With Naruto unconscious we trained together, sometimes with Sai and Yamato but it was mainly only the two of us.

 

He crushed me in the spar because I was so distracted. My pride stung afterward but I pushed it aside and made an attempt to leave as soon as possible but my escape was cut off by the question.

 

“Is something on your mind?” I froze and raised my head to meet Kakashi's gaze. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his eye lazily traveled over my person. For some reason my whole body felt warm.

 

“Why do you ask?”

 

Kakashi shrugged then smiled happily. “Because I just stomped you into a greasy puddle.”

 

I scowled. I would have hit him but with my track record that day I'd only end up flat on my face. I wanted to ask him if he kissed me or had I imagined it but what came instead was, “Sasuke asked me to come see him today.”

 

I stared at him intently looking for any signs that he was disturbed by this but I saw none. Then I realized I was looking for jealousy and almost smacked myself.

 

“Will you go see him?”

 

“I don't think I should.”

 

“But will you?”

 

“I want to know what he wants.”

 

“Then go.”

 

He left me with those words. I watched him walk away until I couldn't see him anymore. So much for the thought of him being jealous.

 

:::

 

Sasuke lay on his back staring at the ceiling when I returned. He didn't acknowledge my presence and it made me angry. I wanted to tear down the bars that held him prisoner and then beat him within an inch of his life. I didn't, but I told myself that it was always an option.

 

“Why did you ask me to come here?”

 

“Because you wanted to come back.”

 

I took an involuntary step back. He was right but I'd never admit it. “Don't presume to know what I want.”

 

“Don't pretend that you don't want me.”

 

“I don't love you anymore. I'm not that little girl.” The lie rolled easily off my tongue—although I wasn't sure which one was the lie or if both were.

 

Sasuke turned his head to look at me and then raised a brow. “Then why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?”

 

I rolled my eyes. “You and I both know that my poisoned kunai wouldn't have killed you.” Sasuke smirked. “I don't know why I let you do this to me. I don't know why I don't just give up.” The smirk fell away from his face. He rose to his feet and stalked to the bars that kept them away from each other. My eyes grew large and I found I wanted to step closer to him. I wanted the bars to be gone. I wanted to be in his arms. It was almost funny how quickly my moods changed.

 

“That's simple Sa-ku-ra. It's because we mean everything to each other and nothing to each other.”

 

That wasn't a simple answer. I didn't know if he meant that we both meant everything and nothing to each other; if he meant everything to me and I meant nothing to him or vice versa. I was certain that before **all** was said and done with I was going to go insane or I'd die.

 

Maybe that's what he wanted all along.

 

 

:::

 

The second time he kissed me I knew for a fact that I wasn't dreaming. It **seemed** he wanted me **to** know that he was, in fact, pursing me.

 

Naruto had awakened and I was deliriously happy, relieved, and nowhere near as depressed as I had been. His eyes opening was like sunshine after the longest night. The first question out of his mouth had been, “We won, right?”

 

“No. We lost.” Came Kakashi's droll reply which caused me to roll my eyes at the older man and assure Naruto that we had, in fact, won. He wanted to jump out of the bed immediately to celebrate but I threatened to kill him if he so much as moved and he thereafter behaved properly—or at least he pretended to. I was certain he'd **make** a mad dash for Ichiraku the minute my back was turned.

 

Kakashi and I left the room when Tsunade came to check on him to make sure he was alright. We promised him we'd come back later that day when he complained about us leaving so soon. I realized I was a lot more tolerant of him than I had been before. The only reason that made **sense** was because I almost lost him.

 

The old adage about never knowing what you have until it's gone came into play. I was sad to say that I fell victim to it again with the same person.

 

I had a bounce in my step as we walked away that was certainly noticeable. “Happy?” Kakashi-sensei inquired.

 

“Very.” I replied and smiled up at him. Something flickered in his eyes and slowly my smile slid away from my face and I looked up at him inquisitively.

 

“Have you seen Sasuke today?” I slowly shook my head and my mood took a dive. " **You've** been different lately."

 

I frowned at his pronouncement. "How so?" Kakashi shrugged and didn't answer my question. I wanted to badger him about what he meant, but decided not to. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know or not. Instead, we walked together in silence. Somehow, without me noticing, he had **taken** my hand in his. Startled, I looked out at our joined hands and then up at him questioningly.

 

"I'm worried at first that he would take you **away** from me." I began tugging at my hand trying to get it away from him but his grip on me tightened. Not enough that it hurt, but enough that I stopped struggling. "I've spent my whole life losing **everything** that was important to me one by one. But I realized something."

 

He stopped speaking **and** let go of my hand. He took a few steps back as if he were going to leave. There's a saying about curiosity. They say it killed the cat. They also say satisfaction brought it back. **I** didn't know how I felt about that saying, but I do know one thing about curiosity.

 

It's a bitch.

 

"You **can't** walk away like that Kakashi sensei. What did you realize?"

 

One look at his happily smiling face let me know that I have fallen into some sort of trap. "I realized that there's always a way out. If there's a situation that I just can't **deal with** then I simply have to find **that** way."

 

He slowly walked back towards me and **I** inadvertently took a step back only to have him follow.

 

"So if Sasuke has your heart then all I have to do...is steal it." He slowly lowered his mask then and I wondered if he could hear my heart beating since it was about to pound right out of my chest. "And you should know Sakura that I never **try** to do anything. Whatever goal I set, I accomplish. So it is only a matter of time."

 

Then he slowly, deliberately lowered his lips to mine giving me plenty of time **to** pull away, but I could not move once again. The second kiss was different from the first. While the first kiss have been a light tease the second one was something far more.

 

My eyes fluttered close the second I felt his lips touch mine. His lips were warm as they ghosted over mine coaxing a response out of me. His tongue slipped in between my lips caressing mine causing my eyes to dart open in surprise. It was actually kind of weird to open my eyes and **see** the passion on Kakashi sensei's face as he kissed me.

 

More than anything, though, it was weird watching him kiss me. So I shut my eyes once more. Although, I wondered why it is that I shut my eyes instead of pulling away. I also wondered when my hands developed a mind of their own when the wound themselves in his hair. And **the** mewling noise I made in the back of my throat? Well, that was because kissing the man was that damn **good**.

 

He pulled away before I was ready to let him go. I reached for him to pull him back but he evaded my hands. I opened my eyes to stare at him angrily and parted my lips to demand the reason why he stopped only to wonder why he looked so smug.

 

When I realized why it was like being doused in cold water. I was standing in a public place brazenly making out with my sensei. My eyes grew round and my mouth dropped open. Words garbled **in** my mouth.

 

“I'll bide my time, Sakura.” He turned then, giving me a slight wave before walking away leaving me bewildered.

 

I hated my **life**.

 

:::

 

I went to see Sasuke afterward because I was confused. His head turned slightly at my entrance and he merely said, “She returns.”

 

“Sasuke...” I didn't know what I planned to say. I hadn't prepared any sort of speech nor did I have any rhyme or reason for being there. I just needed to see him, **but** it turned out that I didn't need to say anything.

 

“They're letting me go.” My heart stopped and tears dropped. “I've been absolved.”

 

“ **Good** for you.” I whispered.

 

“In fact,” I realized then that the chakra suppressors that he should have been wearing weren't there. He stood up and walked to the door and pushed it open. I hadn't noticed it hadn't been locked.  I hated being so distracted.  “I can leave whenever I like.”

 

He stood before me the bars gone like I wanted before.  There was nothing to stop him from taking me into his arms.  Still, there were a few details that I hadn't been filled in on and so I asked the question.

 

“But why wasn't I--”

 

“Informed? Perhaps because good **things** come to those who wait.” I wasn't sure that this was a good thing and I think it showed on my face since Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously. “Let's go, Sakura.”

 

I shook my head. “No. You go ahead. I--” Coherent thought escaped me. I was panicking since I didn't expect this to happen—especially not so soon.  I expected to have time to ponder over all my wild thoughts of not loving him anymore, of letting him go, but I hadn't really gotten the chance.  It wasn't fair.  But how often was life fair?

 

“Must you make this complicated?” I flinched at his tone but didn't reply. “Sakura, do you love me?”

I did love him. He knew that. There was no reason to ask the question. I had always loved him but...

 

“Then come.”

 

He walked away and numbly I followed because **in** the end I was Sakura and he was Sasuke. So maybe I was still that little girl that I had been earlier in **life**. I wasn't sure in those first moments after his command to come that I cared anymore. I followed him.

 

I followed him everywhere.

 

**:::**

“ **Are** you happy?” It was a question he asked me on a regular basis. The intensity in his gaze sent shivers down my spine. It was **hard** to answer him sometimes when he looked at me like that. I felt my pulse quicken and my head lighten.

 

Kakashi wouldn’t treat me like Sasuke did. Instinctively, I knew that. It wasn't a matter of Sasuke treating me bad. I just really didn't know if he loved me or not. It was difficult **to** live in those sort of circumstances, but I loved Sasuke and I was willing to try. I didn't want to live to regret it and one day **find** myself looking back on the past and pointing out my biggest failure to anyone who would listen.

 

 

“I'm happy.”

 

It was only gazing into Kakashi's lone eye that made me doubt.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
